An Exploratory Analysis of US Nurse Practitioner Perspectives on Training and Credentialing

Primary care is crucial as a foundation to healthcare in the United States, and has benefited from the increasing use of mid-level providers to achieve universal and quality primary healthcare. We investigated nurse pracitioners (NPs) as independent providers in primary care through a grounded theory study including interviews with both NPs and physicians. Subsequent content analysis revealed a spontaneous theme among NPs: a focus on current trends in advanced practice nurse education. Nurse practitioner (NP) participants voiced concerns regarding the amount of clinical training required for the NP degree in two areas: clinical experience requirements for applying to graduate nursing programs, and clinical experience in graduate programs before practicing as advanced practice nurses. Nursing education organizations should make as a priority gathering information on the perceptions and clinical needs of NPs in practice. This will aid in creating educational programs that graduate NPs ready to practice as independent primary care providers.